Everton and Liverpool have both been linked with a potential summer transfer move for Sunderland teenager Chris Rigg
12:09, 15 Apr 2025Updated 12:18, 15 Apr 2025
Chris Rigg of Sunderland has been linked with a potential summer transfer to both Everton and Liverpool
Everton could be set to rival neighbours Liverpool in a transfer battle for Chris Rigg this summer but what could the Sunderland wonderkid potentially bring to the Blues’ side?
An article in the i paper states they have been told: “West Ham, Crystal Palace, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United are among the other top flight clubs to run regular checks, while fierce rivals Newcastle United also hold a long-standing interest in Rigg. The report adds: “Liverpool have also sent scouts to watch the teenager, who has played nearly 40 times this term. But the emergence of Everton is intriguing, given their added financial muscle this summer.
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“Everton are looking to strengthen – in the words of one insider – ‘in every single department’ over the close season. The Toffees are understood to be keen to drive down the average age of a team that has consistently been one of the division’s oldest. “A move for Rigg – whose energetic play is seen as perfect for the style that David Moyes wants to implement next season – would make sense. Sunderland may have other ideas, given Rigg is under contract until 2027.
“If they are promoted – and they are guaranteed a place in the Championship play-offs, even if form has tailed off a little of late – then he is highly likely to stay on Wearside. If not, then his future becomes more complicated, given Sunderland’s player trading model.”
Although he doesn’t turn 18 until June 18, Hebburn-born Rigg, who has been with the Black Cats since he was in primary school, has already made 64 appearances for the Wearsiders, netting seven goals and has been capped by England at Under-15, U16, U17, U18 and U19 levels.
In terms of matching his playing style to current Premier League stars, Comparisonator’s Similarity tool calculates the youngster as 73% against Bruno Fernandes of Manchester United; 54% against Justin Kluivert of Bournemouth and 52% against Morgan Gibbs-White of Nottingham Forest.
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We can also use Comparisonator’s Virtual Transfer to correlate Rigg’s statistics in the Championship this season against those already playing in the Premier League in his position. His expected goals (xG) per 90 minutes of 0.19 would place him eighth behind both leader Cole Palmer of Chelsea (0.47) and Abdoulaye Doucoure of Everton who is sixth on 0.22.
A figure of 0.08 for assists would place him ninth, and is considerably less than Kevin De Bruyne of Manchester City who tops the category on 0.54 and third place Dwight McNeil of Everton on 0.33. Rigg’s considerable potential but rawness is also displayed by him being eighth for shots (1.54, with leader Palmer on 2.73) yet 10th for shots on target (0.54, with Palmer on 1.46) and eighth for dribbles (2.69, with leader Omari Hutchinson of Ipswich Town on 5.65) yet 12th for successful dribbles (1, with Hutchinson top on 2.53).
The teenager works hard off the ball though and his average of 5 ball recoveries per 90 minutes, would place him fourth in the Premier League, ahead of seventh placed McNeil on 4.33 in a category topped by Fernandes on 6.35. He’d be fifth for picking-up (of loose possession) on 2.54, a category topped by Lucas Paqueta of West Ham United on 3.67 and 10th for interceptions (1.62) behind leader Mateus Fernandes of Southampton on 3.27.
Although the more frantic nature of play in the Championship is demonstrated by Rigg only coming in 13th for both passes (26.77 in a category topped by Fernandes on 53.88) and successful passes (21.31, with Fernandes again top on 42.24), hitting 1.71 successful long passes per 90 minutes would put him seventh behind leader Fernandes on 3.41.
The North Easterner also seems to relish individual battles as only McNeil (5.89) contests more than his 4.23 pressing duels per 90 minutes while he comes fourth for aerial duels won on 0.62, behind leader Paqueta on 2.22 and ahead of sixth-placed Doucoure on 0.5.
Chris Rigg’s pressing duels statistics for Sunderland in the Championship this season compared to Premier League players in his position
Having signed the likes of Tim Cahill from Millwall and Joleon Lescott from Wolverhampton Wanderers during his first spell at Everton, Moyes has got an impressive pedigree of polishing up rough diamonds from the Championship into accomplished Premier League gems.
Given his own past association with Sunderland where he managed the future England number one Jordan Pickford, there could be a persuasive case from Blues insiders that they could provide the ideal platform for Rigg to take his game onto a new level as part of a much-changed side in what should be a fresh dawn for the club next season at the new stadium.
*Comparisonator is a football data comparison tool from 271 professional leagues around the world which compares players and clubs by utilising over 100 different parameters. Click here for more details.